The Percussion Ensemble at Stephen F. Austin State University will perform the music of Andrew Beall, Nick Werth, Amadeo Roldán and other favorites in a concert at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.
Directed by Dr. Brad Meyer, director of percussion studies at SFA, the Percussion Ensemble will also perform works by Eric Sammut, Austen White, Eckhard Kopetzki and Bill Alves.
According to the program notes, Beall’s “Rancho Jubilee” came from the name of a Dominican restaurant near the composer’s home in Washington Heights.
“Its fun décor and lively atmosphere mixed with Latin and Caribbean influences provide a nice setting for this – what is most likely the first of its kind – trio for cajons,” Beall writes. “Cajon is a Spanish word meaning ‘box.’ The instrument originated in Peru and later became popular in Spanish Flamenco music. Because of the wire strings extending across the cajon, it has a fantastic sound, much like a drumset, with snare and bass.”
In hip-hop culture, “Boom Bap” refers to a onomatopoeia for the prominent percussive sounds in the style-kick (“boom”) and snare (“bap”). From the golden era of the ’80s and ’90s to modern trap music, this groove-based drum sextet pays homage to the evolution of hip-hop, according to “Boom Bap” composer Werth.
Roldán’s “Ritmica No. 5” is based on the Cuban son (pronounced “sewn”) with a montuno section. This is evident in the overall form, instrumentation and rhythmic complexity of the work. The Cuban son originated as a rural song and dance style, and it was performed in a duple meter at a moderate to rapid tempo. The tempo marking for “Ritmica No. 5” is in the tempo of a son, and all the instruments except for the timpani are traditional Cuban instruments, Meyer explained.
Other works on the program include Kopetzki’s “Canned Heat,” Sammut’s “Four Rotations Pour Marimba” and Alves’ “Gandrung.”
The concert is a joint presentation of the College of Fine Arts and School of Music. Cole Concert Hall is located in the Tom and Peggy Wright Music Building, 2210 Alumni Drive.
Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.